Local News

To hear the list of emergencies that the Wood’s River Chapter of the Red Cross responded to since mid-December, it’s been a disastrous month.

It started with the blizzard that fell on Southwest Virginia Dec. 18, followed by one thing after another for the emergency aid agency that covers the City of Galax and Grayson, Carroll and Wythe counties, said Director Joan Isom. The emergencies ranged from winter weather to a hostage situation at the Wytheville Post Office to a mass displacement of people from apartments in Hillsville to a rash of single-family home fires.

RICHMOND — While introducing legislation that would slow down Appalachian Power Co.'s ability to increase its rates, Del. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson County) is also sponsoring a bill that would increase speeds on Virginia's highways.

Along with other legislation being offered this year, Carrico is sponsoring HB856, which would increase the general speed limit on highways where it is presently 65 mph to 70.

Carrico told The Gazette that he was approached by the newly elected governor's policy team to bring the issue before the General Assembly.

RICHMOND — No member of the House of Delegates voted Jan. 21 to support former Gov. Tim Kaine's proposal to increase the state income tax and effectively eliminate the personal property tax on vehicles.

But that didn't stop lawmakers from staging 40 minutes of partisan theater before killing the legislation, the opening round in a fierce fight over fixing a $4.2 billion state budget shortfall.

Both its "high performing" reading and math test scores and its big gains earned Oakland Elementary School its recent national academic recognition, says the Carroll County Public Schools director of school improvement.

The Carroll County School Board held its Jan. 12 meeting at Oakland to honor the school for its achievement in 2009.

Some local elderly people are having to decide between paying for electricity, mortgages, medicine or food to survive one of the harshest winters in years, after receiving astronomical electric bills in December from Appalachian Power Co.

During a town hall meeting at the Rex Theater in downtown Galax last Wednesday, 138 Galax, Grayson and Carroll residents asked APCo how they and others — especially those living paycheck to paycheck — are going to pay their December 2009 electric bills.

INDEPENDENCE — Nautilus employees have now been told that the plant could shut down in mid-February if a buyer is not found.

The company provided employees the federally mandated 60-day notice of possible closure last October. The original date of Dec. 18 was extended as the company continued to seek a buyer for its commercial division — including the plant in Independence.

Last Wednesday, a letter was given to all employees updating them on the process.

HILLSVILLE — Improving Carroll County’s fire and rescue services would benefit from elected officials actually listening to the volunteers, two members of the Emergency Services Board believe.

ESB Chairwoman Debbie Brady Goad and member Markel Cochran have studied the volunteer emergency services issues since their appointments, but are taken aback by the changes imposed by the Carroll supervisors in January.